There are many different kinds of audio, visual and audio-visual presentations and activities that people are exposed to every day. These presentations serve as sensory experiences that stimulate our senses and are known to result in biologically based responses that can be measured electronically and mechanically (for example, heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, and skin conductance).
Likewise, people now have the ability to provide instant and continuous feedback in response to various social media such as pictures, websites, and the like. Such feedback can be provided on computers, tablets, smart phones, and other devices that access the internet. For example, “like” is a way to give positive feedback or to connect with things a person is interested in on the popular social media site Facebook®. In particular, the “like” button on Facebook® is a button a user may click on after looking at most content on Facebook®, which is then reported in newsfeeds to “friends”. Websites unrelated to Facebook® may also use a “like” button that enables a website visitor to click on the button to let his/her friends know that they like the site. For example, after clicking on the website's “like” button, a pop-up will request login to Facebook® (or sign-up if not already a member) and a post on the user's Facebook® page will let his/her friends know that he/she likes the site. When used on a mobile device, such as a smart phone, the “like” button is merely an integrated hardware “Facebook®” button on the phone that does nothing more than take the user to Facebook® when the button is pressed.
Similarly, the “Pin It” button on a computer or mobile device allows users to grab images and videos from around the web and add them to an on-line pinboards created by the users. Other users can view the pinboards, comment, and “re-pin”.
Capabilities have also been introduced to allow people to use mobile devices to interact with their environment. For example, location-based social networking websites allow users to “check-in” at venues using a mobile website, text messaging, or a device-specific application by selecting from a list of venues the application locates nearby. The location is based on GPS hardware in the mobile device or the network location provided by the application. Each check-in awards the user points or other types of rewards.
Even with these advances in technology, the ability to measure and evaluate the user experience, effectiveness, and the usability of social media, locations, or experiences has been limited. In fact, current methodologies for measuring or evaluating user experience, effectiveness, and usability of websites and other interactive internet and software media has thus far been limited to traditional self-report, i.e., relying on the user to use the “like” button and to accurately reflect his/her actual response to the social media, which may be subject to error, bias, or low compliance.
Thus, a need in the art exists for a system and method that integrates passive biometric sensors into smart phones or other portable devices to collaborate with or eliminate the “like” button and replace it with a continuous stream of emotional responses across all experiences. A need also exists in the art for a biometrically enabled suite of applications that are built into smart phones, tablets, and other social media enabled devices to determine when a user unconsciously likes (or dislikes) their current experience, e.g., a web page, “app”, song, video, location, or other experience, and also to remotely monitor the user's stress levels and well-being.